On March 16, 2011, a stranger arrived at the community of AnimeForum. He never expected anyone to take interest in him there...he had been exiled from several communities before, and was generally ignored. But, as luck would have it, things were about to change for this stranger. He had unknowingly just joined a community that would seek to befriend him and regard him as someone important. This stranger...was Scruffy.
"The welcome I received at AF was totally unexpected. I even had a few people send me, a complete newbie, Visitor Messages." states Scruffy.
Initially, the forum did not look particularly active to him, but regardless, he began to post frequently, and found himself fitting in with the community easily. Many were friendly to him, and he even participated in a large event, Wolf 7, where he gained recognition as a very able player, but also as a very friendly guy. "If I had to pin it down to a single moment, I'd say Wolf 7 is where majority of people heard about me."
However, as always, while he was gaining friends and became well-known in his early stages, there were also downsides that befell him. He was dealt 2 infractions and had a personal argument through PMs in front of several AF regulars. "Yeah..those were some pretty bad times. But I learned from them. I apologized afterwards, and was cool with the community again."
Outside of the forum, he gained friendships with several people, and tried his best to treat everyone equally. He regarded them all very closely, and still does to this date. However, him building all of these friendships and maintaining them outside of the forum became one of the prime factors in him deciding to leave the community. "I simply could not post as much as I wanted anymore...I had been caught up in dramatic situations too many times, felt ignored or disregarded too often, and so I decided it was best to leave the community. I do not blame any individual, but leaving the community feels like the right thing to do."
Of course, there is a lot more to the legacy that Scruffy will leave behind. But only those who were with him will know that legacy, and can truly appreciate the full experience he shared with them. He will always regard the community as important and strive to maintain the relationships he has built with his friends from AF. For in his heart resides a special place for AnimeForum; a community where he was once again treated as an equal.
Bon voyage, Scruffy.
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